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Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules by Jeff Kinney is perhaps the most anticipated book of the year for my students. I added Kinney’s first book in the series to my library last year and it quietly made a few ripples. This year, my students became obsessed. My two copies flew from student to student, never returning to my shelf! When the book fair sold paperback copies at least half of my students purchased one. They begged our librarian to add a copy to the library. They recommended it to their siblings. They read parts aloud to their parents. It took over! Since November they have asked at least once a week if I was able to track down an ARC. Well, this weekend our librarian came home from ALA Midwinter with a copy of it. She immediately cataloged it and gave it to us.

You would have thought I was offering each student a million dollars when I asked who wanted to read it. We ended up pulling a name out of a hat and they developed strict rules- each student gets the book for one day and one night. Then it must be passed on. I have also ordered two more copies from Scholastic’s book clubs (which will be here on Monday and will go into circulation immediately!). Today, I watched as the student who currently has the book read it in the library, with three more students reading over his shoulders! It was a sight to see, and made me so very proud. Jeff Kinney has made these students love reading.

Before sharing the book, I did manage to read it myself. I have to say, this one is even funnier than the first! I caught myself laughing out loud at a few points. You see, Greg is getting ready to go back to school. But his wasn’t the typical summer vacation. Do not ask Greg how he spent his summer, because he is not about to tell anyone. Let’s just say, it’s even worse than the fact that his mom won’t buy him a real bathing suit and makes him wear his older brother’s hand-me-down speedo. Yes, even more humiliating than that! Unfortunately for Greg, his older brother, Rodrick, knows all about the incident Greg wants to keep under wraps. But as we all know, secrets never stay secret for long.

Kinney’s books really work wonders for reluctant readers. They build confidence, make the students laugh out loud, and are realistic. The sibling relationships between Greg and his brothers reminded me of my own house growing up. Brothers can be cruel, and it’s every man for himself! The scenes in school are everyschool- they make my almost-middle schoolers laugh out loud.

Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of both of Kinney’s books. And next September we can look forward to “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw”! By the way, my bet is on a green cover for the next one.

My class this year helped me with my goal of reading the Newbery before it was announced at the ALA Midwinter meeting. They cheered me on, snagged my ARCs after I read them, and helped keep me motivated when my to-be-read pile became overwhelming. On Monday morning they came into the room asking, “Did Emma-Jean win?? Did they announce it? Was it a book you read??” (We read Emma-Jean aloud, and they loved her!). After I shared the winners with them, I also told them I had good news for all of them- one of their favorites had won the Caldecott Medal! Needless to say, everyone who had read “The Invention of Hugo Cabret” was thrilled beyond words. It was a great day!

On Monday, I also had the pleasure of introducing our latest project to them- our very own classroom awards! The students spent our reading workshop time reviewing the list of previous Newbery winners to see which ones they had previously read and enjoyed. As a class, we discussed the books to see if they had any special qualities in common. They had read and average of 6-8 books from the list. Needless to say, they were a bit impressed that I have read 86 of the winning titles/honor books!

We then reviewed the criteria and terms for the Newbery Medal. We read each rule carefully, noting the definitions of the phrases that we were not familiar with. The students were shocked that the rules were so open. They thought that it was much stricter and seemed to think only certain books could even be eligible for the award. It was certainly an eye-opening experience for them.

After reviewing the past winners and learning about the terms for the Newbery Medal, we began to brainstorm criteria for our own classroom award- the Mulbery! The students conferred with one another, sharing criteria as they brainstormed. Other students would then respond to the suggestions. Once we came to a consensus, the rule was added to the chart. After about 15 minutes of debate, we came up with the following criteria:

books may be published in any year

ARCs are eligible to win

books must be published for ages 10-16 (they decided that they tend to read YA novels with a few MG thrown in)

authors do not have to be American or maintain American residency

fiction books must be at least 100 pgs. to be eligible

both fiction and non-fiction books are eligible

if necessary, the committee may designate categories, such as “Best Series”, “Best New Author”, etc.

each student may nominate up to 3 titles

nominations will close at the end of March

in order to vote for the awards, you must have read a percentage of the books (TBD) or your vote will be discarded

only my students are eligible to cast votes

Criteria may be added at a later date, should the class deem it necessary. However, they seem fairly content with the rules as they stand. We are all very excited about making our own little mark on the world of children’s literature. My students have very strong opinions about what makes a great kid’s book. Who am I to argue with them- they are the experts! They were shocked that some of their favorites, including Darren Shan’s “Cirque du Freak” series, Andrew Clements’ books, and “Tuck Everlasting” are not award-winners. It should be interesting to see what they choose at the end of the year. I will be sure to keep you all updated!

I was just looking over my Amazon wishlist, noting how many of the titles have release dates in 08 when I stumbled on this post over at Chasing Ray. To join in the throng of kidlitters who have already posted lists, here are the books I am most looking forward to reading in 2008!

The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary Pearson: I can not wait to read this. I managed to snag an ARC at ALA Midwinter and it is at the top of my to-be-read pile. Reviews have been glowing and it has a gorgeous cover! Plus, I love butterflies, so the cover immediately caught my eye. This sounds like a great read and I think I have a few students this year who will also enjoy the novel.

Trouble by Gary Schmidt: I know almost nothing about this novel, other than the fact that Gary Schmidt wrote it. And that’s more than enough for me!

Sweethearts: I just finished reading Sarah Zarr’s “Story of a Girl”, which was amazing. I am looking forward to getting a copy of her newest novel because I love the way she so expertly captures the voice of the average high schooler. This sounds like a great friendship novel.

The Sky Inside by Clare Dunkle Another book that I have seen reviewed sporadically, as ARCs begin to trickle out into the wider world. Dystopian novels are some of my favorites, so this sounds right up my alley!

Two Stephenie Meyer books are on my list. First up, her debut adult novel-

WOW! I did it! I read the Newbery this year before it was announced!! Not only that, but I read the Caldecott, too! This will probably never happen again!!! I was in complete shock this morning when I realized this. How amazing is that?

Tomorrow morning will be very exciting, for reasons besides the (hopefully) impending snow…….it’s Newbery Day! The 2008 Newbery Award will be announced at 7:45am from ALA Midwinter in Philadelphia. I know that thousands of books are published each year and the odds that I will have already read the Newbery are slim to none, but I can hope. I can’t begin to decide which should win the gold and which should be Honor books (or how many honor books there may be this year). Here are my predictions for this year’s awards.

Emma Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree by Lauren Tarshis (I really, really want this book to win the gold!)

Home of the Brave by K.A. Applegate

Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt

Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village by Laura Schlitz

A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban

I will be waiting with baited breath tomorrow morning, hoping one of “my” books wins. Of course, the odds are that another book will sweep in, under the cover of night, and take the big prize. (If that is the worst case scenario, it just means I will have another book to add to my pile of must-reads.) My students are also very excited about tomorrow’s awards. They get to school at 8:10am and I have already promised to let them know the winners as quickly as I can. I signed up to receive the winners via text message from ALA, so I should know very soon after the awards are announced and before the students get to school. We will be spending our reading workshop tomorrow reviewing the terms and criteria for the Newbery along with perusing the list of past winners. We will then use this information to develop criteria for our own class award (to be awarded later in the school year). This way, the award will be a “real” part of their life even if we have not yet read the winner. Should the winner be a short(er) novel, it may just become our next read-aloud!

I just got back from spending the day on the Exhibit Floor at ALA Midwinter ’08 in Philadelphia. All I can say right now is, “WOW”! The boyfriend and I walked to the train station carrying 6 totebags full of ARCs, signed copies, and other knickknacks.

I decided to share some song lyrics for this week’s Poetry Friday. This was one of my favorite songs in college and I heard it on the radio on my drive to school this morning. It’s a great song about moving forward in life while still remembering the good times.

In This Diaryby The Ataris

Here in this diary,
I write you visions of my summer.
It was the best I ever had.
There were choruses and sing-alongs,
and that unspoken feeling
of knowing that right now is all that matters.
All the nights we stayed up talking
listening to 80’s songs;
and quoting lines from all those movies that we love.
It still brings a smile to my face.
I guess when it comes down to it…

Being grown up isn’t half as fun as growing up
These are the best days of our lives.
The only thing that matters
is just following your heart
and eventually you’ll finally get it right.

Breaking into hotel swimming pools,
and wreaking havoc on our world.
Hanging out at truck stops just to pass the time.
The black top’s singing me to sleep.
Lighting fireworks in parking lots,
illuminate the blackest nights.
Cherry cokes under this moonlit summer sky.
2015 Riverside, it’s time to say, “goodbye.”
Get on the bus, it’s time to go.